Diwali Party: The Healthy Way

The festive season is just around the corner and it is party time everywhere. Good food, liquor and dance are the key ingredients of a happening party. But with all the fun and frolic, most people take their health for granted and go out and out to enjoy every bit of it including binging and boozing. Festivals are surely a great way to enjoy but they can be even more memorable if you are in your best of shape and health. So here are some easy tips:·         

• Follow a regular meal pattern on the day of the party. People who deliberately skip meals to save the calories tend to overeat all the food they see at once and add plenty to their waistline.
• Munch on a big bowl of raw salad in the evening prior to the party as it keeps you full and helps to reduce the urge to binge.
• When at the party, take your time to get comfortable with the surrounding and scrutinize the food choices available. Opt for non fried, steamed or roasted starters.
• Buffet is an invitation to eat all that is available, but resist temptations and stick to a few favorite food options rather than taking little servings of all 20 different dishes. Start with a liberal helping of low fat salads with curd, lemon or vinegar dressings.
• Choose foods high in protein such as chicken/ fish (steamed, roasted or grilled) or dal and rice combo for vegetarians. Avoid biryanis and creamy and rich gravies and sauces. Go easy on full fat paneer. Opt for stewed rice rather than fried rice, pasta in red sauce rather than the white cheesy sauce and tandoori roti over roomali roti
• Do not overdo on alcohol as it is the easiest way to increase your fat stores. 1-2 drinks of red wine are a great source of antioxidant.
• To help digestion, have a glass of fresh lime water(less sugar) or jaljeera after a heavy dinner.
• Party hard, but exercise harder.  Make sure to spare one hour of the day to burn all the additional calories and keep your BMR high to avoid piling on that unwanted fat. Let 1 hour of brisk walk or resistance activity do all the magic.
• Aim at leaving the party satisfied and not stuffed.

By

Neha Chandna

Nutritionist

Diet- its true meaning

The word ‘dieting’ has gained much importance in the past few years. Everyone around is following some or the other diet which is famous or fad because dieting is in fashion. Very few of us realise that the word “DIET” has a much deeper meaning than just weight loss. Diet means attaining and maintaining health in order to carry out your day to day activities without getting fatigue or famished. It means feeling energetic, active, focused and happy. It means eating balanced nutritious meals in small quantities and often to pump up your BMR and helping you burn you fat, and not melt it. (There is nothing called as melting fat). It’s as simple as eating the right thing at the right time in the right quantity.

Most of the people pick up one of the fad diets available on the net and start believing that it is the best diet to lose weight because some of their friends/ colleagues have told them about it. But that is absolutely incorrect because there is no authenticity to it. Also these diets are very extreme like rice diet, soup diet, cabbage diet etc which are not holistic and do not help you meet your daily nutrient requirements. For example, rice is rich in carbohydrates and some B-complex vitamins but what about your protein, good fats, calcium, iron etc. Another vast sector of society thinks that starving or skipping meals will help them get trimmer. This is again wrong because when you starve your BASAL METABOLIC RATE crashes down and your body stores whatever you eat next as fat. So you initially lose water weight but when you go back to your routine diet, you are richer with greater fat stores than before. This is called the YO-YO effect (losing weight and gaining back double of it in no time).

I had a male businessman client who came to me with 109 kgs, with the most unacceptable eating habits and desperate to lose weight and get healthy. In 3 months, he was down to 93 kgs with 8 inches less on his waist. All he had to say is “Neha I am very happy, but I had to spend double my money because of you”, I asked surprisingly,” why?” He said,” I had to redo my entire wardrobe again”, and I laughed with joy. Similarly, another young female client had a Polycystic ovarian syndrome at the age of 16 and weighed 78kgs because of wrong eating habits and inactive lifestyle. In 2.5 months she lost 9 kgs and had got rid of her PCOS problem completely just with the right food and moderate exercise.

So friends it is really not a rocket science to maintain health and weight together. It is just slightly tweaking your lifestyle for the better. What better than eating enough and achieving your goals? 

By Neha Chandna

Nutritionist

Time to stock some snack!!

Most of the people in India follow the 3 meal pattern and think of mid meal snacking as a sin. But the truth is that small meals eaten every 2-3 hours can not only increase your BMR and help you burn fat but also keep you energetic and active for your routine chores. Benefits of mid meal snacks:

• Helps to keep your weight under check
• Boosts energy
• Improves concentration and focus
• Provides vitamins, minerals and important nutrients
• Controls appetite
• Reduces craving for sweets and fried foods

Reduces hunger as the day passes by and thereby food intake, keeping your digestive system at its best

 Whether at work, home or on field snacking is a very easy task and not cumbersome as people consider it to be. Healthy mid meal snacking does not mean making something authentic or exotic. It means small meals which are easy to pack, carry with you and store for a longer time. Here are a few options you can consider as snacks:

• Fruits
• Salads
• Nuts (almomds/walnuts)
• Roasted chana
• Kurmura (puffed rice)
• Roasted khakras/chivdas
• Peanut butter sandwich
• Sprout salad
• Egg whites
• Moong dal chila/ nacnhi pancakes
• Wraps/ rolls

As per you convenience, budget and feasibility you can choose any of the above options which do not require too much preparation, yet give you all the benefits they are meant to.

So enjoy snacking and stay fit!!!

By

Neha Chandna

Nutritionist

Monsoon workout

Rains bring a sense of relief after the scorching sunny heat. But for walk/jog lovers it can be a great disappointment when they see heavy showers pouring down especially when they are all geared up for their workout. The gloomy weather adds to the laziness forcing you to miss your gym and get into your quilt. So does this mean you have to give a toss to your workout regime? Ofcourse not. All you have to do it shift your outdoor workouts indoor. So how can you go about it? Check it:

Always do a 45 minutes – 1 hour workout:

• Warm up: you can start your warm up with basic stretches of the neck, head, shoulder, arms and legs  followed by 5 minutes spot jogging,
• Cardio: after warm up you can do 15 minutes of rigorous cardio to get your heart beat up and start your fat burning process. You can opt for skipping, stair climbing, hopping, jumping jacks etc. You can do any 1 or choose a combination of any of the above.
• Strength: after a good cardio spree, you need to strengthen your muscles for toning the body and preventing joints from injury. You can do a combination of 20 squats + 20 lunges( each leg)+ 20 push ups. You repeat this set 2-4 times as per your capacity.
• Abs: start with a plank position for 30 seconds and repeat it again. Then lie down on your back and do 20 crunches + 20 reverse crunches + 20 alternate leg raises. Repeat this set 2 times.
• Cool down: do 5 minutes of full body stretches and relax.

This kind of regime gives an overall body workout including all the components like strength, cardio, stretches.

If you want to do a fun workout, you can just play music and dance like no one is watching you. You can also purchase workout DVD’s available in the market to assist you with aerobics, dance, zumba very much at your home.

So now the rains cannot damper your exercising spirit!!!

By 

Neha Chandna

Nutritionist

Health Insurance: Investment Or Expense

Hello Mumbai | Business, 02 Sept 2012: A friend of mine once called up to say he wanted to buy 10 lacs of Health Cover for his parents. I calculated the cost to be approximately 30,000. Aware of his financial condition, I asked him if he could afford that, to which he replied ‘I might not be able to afford Rs 30,000 today but I definitely cannot afford Rs 10 lacs if there is a medical need tomorrow’.

I guess the above incident is self –explanatory as to health Insurance is an investment not an expense.

Buying Health Insurance, simply put, is limiting your expenditure on health care by providing proactive-a type of safeguard against the high costs of medical care. It covers those unfortunate and unpredictable moments in life to which we all are vulnerable every passing second. It is thus an investment and as such a dire need. As an investment we may not get regular returns on it, but when it provides us with better access to medical services and reduces the amount of money we must be out of our pockets for medical needs, it makes an important asset. Its need can’t be under-emphasized either, considering the tough ordeal one undertakes on being diagnosed with an illness and having the need to be hospitalized.

Heart problems, diabetes, stroke, renal failure, cancer- the list of lifestyle diseases just seem to get longer and more common these days. The costs, we all know, are sky-rocketing. Again because of high-stressed jobs, bad eating habits, more and more cars in the city, pollution etc, the younger generation has become as prone to the diseases and accidents as the older one. Those who have health insurance get more preventive care and see a doctor when needed, with those without health insurance may delay necessary medical care out of fear of the high cost. Investing in health insurance means investing in your quality of life. If you have good health now, you may feel that you will never fall sick. This mindset needs to be changed. One visit to nearby hospital may help you feel contrary. Fortunately we have many good hospitals and specialist doctors – but these services come at a cost an average man can hardly afford. Only a right Health Insurance policy can adequately finance such expenses. Yes, preventive care helps and it may prolong the need for insurance. But there is nothing better than knowing that you are fully protected.

Overall, uninsured people get about half as much care as the privately insured, as measured in terms of money spent on their care. This discrepancy holds true even when spending is adjusted for age, income, health status and other factors. In the recent past, even the financial planners are focusing on medical policies and suggesting that when one should get his health insurance first after taking the term cover and then look at other investments.

With our government eternally facing the fiscal crisis at both the central and state level, the already inadequate public health budgets are further shrinking. This coupled with rising healthcare cost in wake of the demand for its services and lack of easy access of people, especially from the low income group, to quality healthcare, increases our dependency on healthcare coverage. Thus, every individual, or the family as a whole, should invest in a quality health plan. 

Rahul Agarwal
Founder Director
rahul@idealinsurance.in

Plan a Smart Kitchen Health

Healthy eating is all about changing your shopping habits before bringing a change in your eating habits. We are well aware of the brain storming behind it, so we thought; why not make the entire process time & money saving for you. This is how you begin.....

• Set a fixed monthly budget to be spent on food items & commodities as per the number of members in your family.
• From that budget, set apart a certain amount to be spent on dry stuff like sugar, oil, cereals, pulses etc.
• Divide the remaining budget into 4 for each week, to purchase all the perishable items such as fruits, veggies, dry snacks etc.
• Every week, before setting out for shopping, make a list of all the food stuff required for that week depending on your weekly schedule for example guests coming over or dining out etc.
• Avoid visiting a very fancy super mart, as it may tempt you to pick up unnecessary expensive & calorie loaded stuff such as chips, cakes, cookies etc.
• Always buy perishable food like fruits & vegetables in amounts just enough to last for the entire week or else it would be a waste of money for fancy garbage.
• Do not stock your kitchen with chocolates, sweets, cream biscuits, butter cookies as it could urge you to munch on, instead buy roasted snacks like soya nuts, granola bars etc.
• Eating leftovers is not a very healthy idea, so avoid cooking in excess.
• Do not buy frozen, pre- made meals as they are loaded with salt, sugar, chemicals & fat.
• Avoid taking your kids with you for shopping as you may land up spending a major chunk of your budget on unnecessary items like candies, sweets, chocolates etc.

Written by:
Ms. Neha Chandna
Dietician

Heal Your Gut

People say, ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’. But actually, it is not only the way to the heart but, an ultimate route to a person’s health. Your gut (gastrointestinal tract) is a dynamic organ and if not taken good care of, it can lead to a volley of health problems. Imagine your body as a car, your stomach as a petrol tank of your car and the food you eat as the petrol. If you refill your tank with low quality or adulterated petrol, your car is bound to give you problems. So below given are 5 foods which can help keep your stomach and body healthy and fit:

• Yoghurt: It is an excellent source of probiotics which are friendly bacteria that strengthen your immune system, protect against disease causing bacteria and infections and help in proper digestion and absorption of food thereby relieving gas and bloating. Yoghurt can be relished with fruits, in the form of raita or buttermilk. 

• Oats: It is rich in soluble fiber which is fermented in the large intestine to produce beneficial bacteria and reduce the levels of harmful ones. This helps to resist infections and improve overall well being. The soluble fiber in oats also helps to reduce cholesterol levels. You can add oats to your soup, idli, dosa to add to the fiber in your diet.

• Chicken and fish: They contain very high amount of an important amino acid GLUTAMINE. Glutamine is the preferred fuel source for cells lining the small intestine. It prevents the absorption of harmful molecules and helps in the production of antioxidants that protect all the organs of the body. Enjoy them in steamed, roasted or grilled form to gain maximum health benefits.

• Whole grains: Such as whole wheat, jowar, ragi, brown rice etc have good amount of insoluble fiber which increases your fecal bulk and reduces constipation, gas and bloating. Add wheat bran to your whole grains for additional fiber. 

•  Aloevera juice: It is an amazing de-toxifier. It prevents heartburn and acidity, soothes the digestive system, helps in irritable bowel syndrome, and improves digestion and absorption of nutrients. Consume 100 ml aloevera juice empty stomach early morning for its best effects.

Written by

Neha Chandna

Nutritionist

Indian Consumer: Awareness about Health Insurance

Despite the projections of a high growth in the health insurance sector, India still lags behind when it comes to awareness about the same. The general public are by and large ignorant about the benefits of availing healthcare insurance policies and there lies an urgent need to educate the masses regarding the importance of Health Insurance and the benefits derived on account of it. 

Health insurance sector is very much in a formative stage still. There are health insurance products for more than 20 years now but still the penetration level is barely 2-3 per cent of the population. Though the general public is concerned about surging health care costs, they don’t realize that health policies can save them monetary losses. They often looks to purchase health insurance only when he or she needs medical treatment or at an older age. It is advisable to purchase insurance beforehand and preferably at a younger age as the premiums are cheaper, and customers will have no ‘pre-existing ailment exclusions’ as they grow older. Another factor that should encourage Indians to purchase health insurance is that they can avail of tax benefits under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act for most health insurance plans.

There is an irrationalfear among people that insurance is wastage of money and that they are never going to be awarded the claim money. In this sense, the role of intermediaries becomes vital who can assuage them comfortably. Again the distribution channels in India are very weak. Considering that Indian market is largely retail, consumers should be reached out not specifically for each need but through an intermediary who will look comprehensively into their needs.

In most cases, the insured is not even aware of his rights and duties. Most insurance purchasers do not have any clue as to what they should do if they have a disagreement on any issue with their insurance company - whether it is a simple thing as repeatedly asking for a change of address or receiving the policy itself or a slightly more difficult one that involves a dispute/ difference of opinion on the claim settlement. They need to be aware that there is an insurance ombudsman who looks into such grievances and resolves the matter.

Against this backdrop, IRDA has taken the responsibility to launch a multi-media, multi-level awareness campaign to address the issues related to the above mentioned problems. The insurance regulator is leaving no stone unturned to increase insurance awareness among prospective and existing policyholders in India. Given that the regulatory framework is improving and that many new players including foreign companies are willing to come in, things might be at a take-off stage.

Astonishing facts about Indian Health

• The Indian healthcare sector is expected to become a US$ 280 billion industry by 2020 with spending on health estimated to grow 14% annually.
• India is the diabetes capital of the world. It is estimated that currently there are 40 million people with diabetes in India and by 2025 this number will swell to 70 million. This would mean every fifth diabetic in the world would be an Indian.
• A study by Ernst & Young says that India will require another 1.75 million hospital beds by the end of 2025. The public sector is likely to contribute only around 15-20% of the required US$ 86 billion investment.
• There is an acute shortage of supply of services in rural areas. Not only is there non-availability of hospitals for simple surgeries, but several parts of the country have barely one or two hospitals with specialist services.
• The rising graph of ailments in India is directly proportional to the rapidly changing traditional food habits, believe experts.
• In about a decade’s time, India has earned the dubious distinction of being the capital for diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. And, steadily even obesity is sneaking into the Indian households. The prevalence of coronary artery disease has reached to 14% in contrast to 11% in 2003 and just 1% in 1960.
• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mortality due to cardiovascular diseases has decreased by 60% in Japan and Finland, 50% in the US, and 25% in Canada and Australia. But, on the other hand, it is projected that by 2015, mortality due to cardiac ailments will increase by 100% in India. This is mostly due to wrong diet, which is bringing down the immunity massively.
• Over the past few years medical tourism has gained momentum in India. An increase in the number of patients from developed countries getting quality health services for less than half the price is making India a popular medical tourist hub in Asia. Which in turn is pushing the Health care costs to rise rapidly.

Health Insurance: Investment or Expense

A friend of mine once called up to say he wanted to buy 10 lacs of Health cover for his parents. I calculated the cost to be approximately Rs 30,000. Aware of his financial condition, I asked him if he could afford that, to which he replied ‘I might not be able to afford Rs 30,000 today but I DEFINITELY cannot afford Rs 10 lacs if there’s a medical need tomorrow.”

I guess, the above incident is self-explanatory as to Health Insurance is an Investment not an Expense.

Buying Health insurance, simply put, is limiting your expenditure on Health care by being proactive - a type of safeguard against the high costs of medical care. It covers those unfortunate and unpredictable moments in life to which we all are vulnerable every passing second. It is thus an investment and as such a dire need. As an investment we may not get regular returns on it, but when it provides us with better access to medical services and reduces the amount of money we must pay out of our pocket for medical needs, it makes an important asset. Its need cannot be underemphasised either, considering the tough ordeal one undertakes on being diagnosed with an illness and having the need to be hospitalized.

Heart problems, diabetes, stroke, renal failure, cancer – the list of lifestyle diseases just seem to get longer and more common these days. The costs, we all know, are skyrocketing. Again because of high stress jobs, bad eating habits, more and more cars in the city, pollution etc. the younger generation has become as prone to the diseases and accidents as the older one. Those who have health insurance get more preventive care and see a doctor when needed, while those without health insurance may delay necessary medical care out of fear of the high costs.

Investing in health insurance means investing in your quality of life. If you have good health now, you may feel that you’ll never fall sick. This mind set needs to be changed. One visit to a nearby hospital may help you feel contrary. Fortunately we have many good hospitals and specialist doctors – but their service comes at a cost an average man can hardly afford. Only a right health insurance policy can adequately finance such expenses. Yes, preventive care helps and it may prolong the need for insurance. But there is nothing better than knowing you are fully protected.

Overall, uninsured people get about half as much care as the privately insured, as measured in terms of money spent on their care. This discrepancy holds true even when spending is adjusted for age, income, health status, and other factors. In the recent past, even the financial planners are focusing on medical policies and suggesting that one should get his health insurance first after taking the term cover and then look at other investments.

With our government eternally facing the fiscal crisis at both the central and state levels, the already inadequate public health budgets are further shrinking. This, coupled with rising health care costs in wake of the demand for its services and lack of easy access of people, especially from the low income group, to quality health care, increases our dependency on healthcare coverage. Thus, every individual, or the family as a whole, should invest in a quality health plan.

Changing Health Insurance Scenario

Today Healthcare is one of the most progressive and the largest service sector in India, defined by ground breaking innovations, flexible business models, new tech-trends and high investments. HealthInsurance thus cannot be far behind, further up bolstered by increase in public awareness, rising state-level participation, growth of health infrastructure, expanding choices of insurance products, etc. All these have not only increased the coverage of insurance sector multifold but also ensured its reach to the masses residing in remote areas.

Since the liberalization of the insurance industry India has been promoting private players to enter the health insurance sector. This was followed by another landmark decision of establishing Third Party Administrators (TPAs) to facilitate speedier expansion by providing an administrative– intermediary structure to the insurance industry. Expenditures that cover outpatient treatment, including medicines for all serving and retired CGHS beneficiaries and inpatient/diagnostic services availed by retired beneficiaries, has thus grown between 12% and 25% per year over the past several years. 

Social Security for medical emergencies dates far back in the Indian community. For e.g. villagers used to collect donation to support a household with a sick patient even earlier. Only the form has been improvised keeping in mind the changing social patterns.

Use of Internet and Mobile for service sectors including insurance is seen as a fast-emerging trend in India. This is supported by exponential growth in the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector, and plummeting telecom costs. Gone are the days when time and hassles involved to conclude a deal were herculean. Today everything is at the click of a mouse or an icon. One can compare quotes from various insurers from the cosy comforts of his home. Claim settlement is also more transparent with growing public awareness and reduced documentation.

Agents have thus taken a backseat, allowing Brokers to cater to the varied but specific needs of the clients. Dental and diabetes treatment, doctor consultation, maternity benefits, etc. are also seen to be included in customised policies. Senior citizens have finally been awarded special care and attention with specific policies to their needs.

The single largest change in the previous year was Portability of policies from one insurer to the other without losing the accrued benefits. This has jolted the reluctant insurance companies and kept them on their feet lest they lose their valued insured. Several other schemes and changes are under deliberations and are hoped to see the light of the day soon.

Realizing the increasing need for growth of health insurance, Govt. is also escalating its projects. For instance, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) has been extended to cover unorganised sector workers in hazardous mining and associated industries, like slate and slate pencil, dolomite, mica and asbestos. The Yojana has emerged as an effective instrument for providing a basic health cover to poor and marginal workers. Presently it is being extended to MGNREGA beneficiaries, beedi workers and others.

However, there are lot of challenges ahead. Global experience and economic theory show proof of widening inequity, over utilization, adverse selection, upsurge in inappropriate care, inadequate risk selection, etc. thus increasing overall cost of care and insurance. Also, such highly competitive, voluntary markets will lead to high administrative costs, unviable risk pools, undercutting and unrealistic pricing, eventually paving the way for market instability and bankruptcies. Despite its expanding reach, the penetration of health insurance in India has been low. It is estimated that only about 3% to 5% of Indians are covered under any form of health insurance.